ART INSTRUCTORS' LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF HAZARDOUS ART MATERIALS USED IN SENIOR CENTERS: A QUANTITATIVE/QUALITATIVE STUDY (ART MATERIALS).
Contributors: University of Pennsylvania.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 301
Subjects: Education, Art.; Education, Health.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Arts and crafts materials containing toxic chemicals have been found to be hazardous to human health. Many of our aging population participate in community art programs and are considered to be in a high risk category for developing health problems from exposure to toxic chemicals. This study examined senior centers in terms of the art instructors' awareness of art materials found to be hazardous, how art materials and facilities were used, and demographics of the respondents.

The sample consisted of art instructors in senior centers in eastern Pennsylvania. A survey instrument developed and validated by Hansen (1986) was mailed to 156 instructors. Seventy-five were returned, with 50 being usable. In addition, six art instructors, three working or volunteering in urban and three in rural centers were interviewed and their art classes observed using the survey tool as a guide.

Awareness of hazardous art materials was determined by the art instructors' responses to an awareness test on art hazards. Respondents also identified what art materials were used in their art rooms and how art materials and art facilities were used.

T-tests and Pearson (r) correlations were performed on the data. Major findings include: (1) art education was positively correlated with awareness of art hazards (p =.01) while financial compensation, teaching or work experience had no significant effect; (2) art education had a significant effect on the use of storage (p =.01), but no effect on the remaining safety variables; financial compensation had no effect on awareness of safety factors; (3) instructors with prior work experience took more precautions in the use of storage (p =.04), housekeeping (p =.0005), personal protection (p =.005), and ventilation (p =.03); fire safety and personal hygiene showed no relationship; (4) teaching experience was positively correlated with personal protection (p =.02), but there was no significant difference with the remaining variables; (5) art hazards awareness was positively correlated with the use of storage (p =.001), housekeeping (p =.02), personal hygiene (p =.03), and personal protection (p =.03); no significant relationships were found with fire safety or ventilation. The study has implications for the general health of high risk populations, the education of art instructors and health professionals as well as the quality of life for all.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-01, Section: A, page: 0059.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1989.

School code: 0175.